Nonimmigrant Visas

Beginning January 1, 2019, Russian nationals may be required to pay a visa issuance fee when their B-1/B-2 (visitors for business or tourism) visa applications are approved. An issuance fee is based on “reciprocity” (what the Russian Federation charges a U.S. citizen for a similar type of visa). For more information about the new fee structure, please click here.

The Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Prague is responsible for providing visa services to those seeking to enter the United States for a temporary period and for those wishing to take up indefinite or permanent residence in the United States.

Treaty Investor visas are authorized on the basis of treaties of commerce and navigation between the United States and certain countries, including the Czech Republic. Thus, Czech citizens may seek to qualify for Treaty (E) visas. Please note that the Enterprise must be majority-owned, as well as developed and directed by nationals of the Treaty Country (“Treaty Country Nationals”), and individual employees must have the same nationality as the Enterprise to qualify.

E-Visas permit the investor and his/her family to live in the United States during the validity period of the visa. These visas are not immigrant visas; consequently, you are allowed to live in the U.S for as long as the conditions under which the visa was granted remain valid. Dependents are not authorized to work in the U.S. unless they receive explicit authorization to do so from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in the U.S. This authorization must be applied for after your arrival in the U.S. Please ask the Immigration Officer at the port of entry for details.

It currently takes the Embassy approximately 2 to 3 weeks to process an E-Visa application and schedule an interview. Please note, however, that visa processing times vary according to the time of year and our workload. We cannot guarantee that a visa will be processed in time to meet your travel schedule. We always suggest that you apply well ahead of any planned travel date, allowing extra time for any unforeseen delay.

If you have an unforeseen travel need, as per one of the criteria listed below, you may request an expedited appointment. You still need to schedule a regular appointment online at http://www.ustraveldocs.com/cz/cz-niv-visaapply.asp for the earliest available date, and then ask for an expedite appointment explaining the reasons for your request. The consular staff will evaluate your case and get back to you with an answer via email. Once at the interview you will be asked to present documentary evidence to prove the urgency.

Emergency situations include:

death/funeral of a close relative;

urgent business travel within two weeks of first available appointment date;

students or exchange visitors who need to begin or resume a valid program of study starting before the first available appointment date;

ESTA denial if you are a citizen of a Visa Waiver Program country and are dual national of Iraq, Iran, Sudan or Syria, or have traveled to Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Syria, Libya, Yemen, or Somalia after March 1, 2011 and your travel is within two weeks of first available appointment date.

If you are traveling to the United States to install, service, or repair commercial or industrial equipment or machinery sold by a company in the Czech Republic to a buyer in the United States, and the purchase contract requires that the Czech company provide such services, you may be eligible for the B-1 visa. In order to qualify for the B-1, you must possess a copy of the contract between the Czech company and the U.S. client, the specialized knowledge essential to perform the services, receive no remuneration from a U.S. source, and the company must not receive any payment for these services in addition to that specified in the original contract of sale.

Individuals who normally reside outside of the Czech Republic, but who are unable to apply for a U.S. visa in their home country in a timely manner may submit their application at U.S. Embassy Prague. Applicants are not required to be a resident of the Czech Republic to apply for a visa, but must be physically present in the Czech Republic at the time of the visa interview, as we cannot accept mail-in applications from individuals while they are outside of the Czech Republic. Please be aware that U.S. Embassy Prague has limited language abilities outside of Czech and English.